Posted 7 May
Lisa Bailey 
One of the themes we explore in our current exhibition BEGINNINGS is the concept of cultivation. The idea that starting something is not a single moment in time. You don’t plant a seed and ignore it, you tend to it, water it, create space for it by clearing weeds. You need to pay attention and provide care over a period of time for things to flourish.
This is true of our relationships with each other as well as with the land and sea around us. At MOD. our relationship with Karl Winda Telfer, Burka-Senior Man Mullawirra Meyunna (Dry Forest People) goes back to before we opened our doors, and if you’ve ever visited MOD. you will have seen Karl’s award-winning installation Kuri Kurru, and interactive exploration of the Kaurna Meyunna seasonal calendar.
Karl and his partner Claire Lock work together on Traditional Owner-led programs Caring for Country at the beautiful Kanyanyapilla – Place of Many Eagles, in McLaren Vale. Bringing together Karl’s deep cultural knowledge alongside Claire’s expertise in ecology, Kanyanyapilla is a place for cultural, spiritual and ecological renewal. The MOD. team recently visited for a day of listening, learning and caring for Country.
We saw the thriving Kangaroo Grass, starting to spread amongst the invasive grass species that have spread throughout many agricultural areas. This is something we touch on in the exhibition with the Hanging Wheat sculpture in the foyer: as Karl explains, “over 90% of Adelaide’s native grasslands have been lost through colonial practices, disrupting traditional food sources, cultural fire practices, and leading to mass extinctions throughout the living cultural landscape. The restoration of Kangaroo Grass, and other native grass species, is important for biodiversity, fire management, and as a traditional food source”.
It was a chance to also get our hands dirty, assisting with weeding, watering and replacing degrading tree guards in the food and medicine garden.
The day was a chance for restoration, connection and cultivation of our relationships- as a team, and with Karl and Claire, and a much-appreciated chance to slow down and pay attention to the world around us.
You can learn more about Kanyanyapilla here including opportunities to learn more about Traditional Owner self-determination to care for Country and kin.
